The Ducks, meanwhile, had several breakdowns in the loss to Utah, including giving up a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown on a trick play and 33-yard run for a first down by the Utes’ punter.
Advertisement
Liufau can live with a little bit of discomfort.
So now begs the question… can Oregon bounce back? If we come out and play like we did last game, it’s not going to be good. We are not USC.
That’s the thing about big-time football: Most of the time, quiet competence is not enough. Why Colorado Will Win For the first time in a decade, the Buffaloes are entering this game with more confidence than the Ducks. Helfrich said earlier this week that responsibility for the adjustments is falling to the coaching staff, not the players. Oregon needs to do a better job at putting pressure on the quarterback and getting guys in the backfield. “To get off on the right foot against Oregon and in the Pac-12 Conference would be a big step in the right direction for us”.
“I think we’ll face a mad, hungry Oregon football team, coming in here thinking they can beat Colorado like they have in the past”, MacIntyre said.
“They should think that” the Ducks are susceptible, he says.
Unfortunately, with the Ducks’ recent success, there’s no where to hide.
People thought they may have been being pessimistic when they said Vernon Adams would at least be a Jeremiah Masoli for the Ducks, but now that seems like it might be an insult to Masoli. There are so many options for a quarterback and not a lot of time for a defense to make reads. All last week in practice, though, it hurt to throw. Lockie threw for 139 yards with one touchdown for the Ducks, who fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Pac-12. The receiving core has also been hit hard by Devon Allen coming back from injury, the suspension of Darren Carrington and the continued loss of Pharaoh Cooper at tight end. And now there’s a report that receiver Byron Marshall could miss the rest of the season. DeForest Buckner, Doug Brenner and Tyrell Crosby are questionable.
Even though the unit has seemingly collapsed, its season is not over. We need to keep them off the scoreboard, not off the field.
No, the Buffaloes have not even started their PAC-12 conference schedule, and they did lose to Hawaii (at Hawaii) in their season opener. Not having a QB with a 4.4 40 is the obvious starting point, but the Ducks also no longer have the raw speed they used to at running back or in their pace.
One of the big stories this week is the surprising betting line. You weigh that. And were always gonna put who we think gives us the best chance out there..
The Ducks are still a talented team. The Buffs are riding a rare three-game winning streak, though wins over Massachusetts, Colorado State and Nicholls State won’t prepare a team for the start of Pac-12 play. “They look like a legitimately promising young team this season, with no rough edges to irritate, no dominant style about which to turn up your nose, no offensive personalities at whom to seethe”. On the bright side, the Vandals did beat Wofford, so they won’t go winless in Paul Petrino’s third year as coach.
Advertisement
One of the reasons Oregon was able to be so dominant without dominant talent was how well the functioned as a complete unit. The field goal block team had a huge play in the win over Colorado State and CU’s kickoff coverage has been good. Too often against Utah, Oregon was forced to punt and over the course of the first three periods came up on the short end of the field position battle thanks to the outstanding special teams play of Utah. Offensive Coordinator Scott Frost must utilize his array of dynamic players like freshman phenom Taj Griffin and established wide receiver Bralon Addison in different formations like the wildcat.
